Spotlight on…Debra Sinclair

Every month, we put the spotlight on a member of the Parenta team. This time around, it’s our Head of Training Delivery. Debra ensures that, as a training provider, Parenta delivers high-quality training and assessment for our learners.

What’s your role within Parenta?

I am currently the Head of Training Delivery. I have been with Parenta for 11 years now, but in this particular role for just 6 months. I am responsible for leading the delivery team -including the regional training managers, internal quality assurers and assessors/tutors – to deliver a remarkable journey for our learners, ensuring we have 100% compliance throughout all our work. I also liaise with all external organisations, including the awarding bodies and funding partners.

How do you ensure that we’re compliant with Ofsted’s requirements?

I work extremely closely and in partnership with our Head of Quality to ensure we are meeting and complying with all standards. Regular training, CPD and networking are essential to keep up to date with current regulations. Always having that passion to improve on what you currently do and continually striving to be better and improve on current practice is essential. I am so blessed to have such an amazing team supporting me, who are all so passionate about what they do and constantly working towards the same goal.

How do you find ways to improve the quality of the training we provide to our learners?

I believe feedback and listening is key to this. We are always subject to many audits and compliance inspections. Working with these agencies and taking on board and acting on feedback given by them can only help improve our practice. Listening to our colleagues who deliver the qualifications (who are constantly face to face with our learners) and, more importantly, listening to our learners themselves and setting managers who experience the learner journey is key, too.

What do you think makes Parenta stand out as a training provider?

We have a most remarkable and passionate team behind us. All our assessor/tutors are early years qualified and have worked in early years settings before becoming qualified assessors. They all work with their learners on a one-to-one basis, ensuring they meet all the needs of the individual learner.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

I love watching people achieve and grow, from the young school leavers who become qualified to the older ‘returning to work’ learners that maybe have lost some confidence. We have seen young apprentices come out of school who do their level 2 apprenticeship, then progress on to do their level 3, then their team leading and either the management or level 5 qualifications. Also, with Functional Skills, when you have a learner who says “I can’t do this” or “I have never been able to”, then you work with them and gradually they build on what they have until (and not always the first time!) they pass their exam. It’s such a sense of achievement for them – there is nothing like that feeling!

What are your team working towards in the coming months?

We are all working as part of a bigger project within Parenta to become remarkable throughout everything we do. We want our learners to have the best experience of learning through every part of their journey. With this in mind, we are analysing all touch points and looking at how we can improve or make their journey easier. The ultimate goal is for the learner to look back on the whole learning experience and not want it to stop there!

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know…

Having been at Parenta for so long now, there is not a lot that people don’t really know about me. But, prior to having children and going into Early Years myself, I was a Corporal in the Royal Air Force, serving both in the UK and Germany. I still have nightmares about bulling my shoes to this day!

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